Improvement in padlocks



titi/1rd 'Stairs atleti dtihiiw.

FRIEND W. SMITH, J R., OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

Letters Patent No. 99,115, dated January 25, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN PADLOCKS.

The Schedule referred to in theeeLettexs Patent-and making part of the same.

' be attached to the bag.

. that the bolt is released from its catch by the mere act of applying the lock to the bag, and is shot across the' staple as soon as it has passed, thus locking it securely.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 represents a view, in elevation, of my improved lock,`as seen from the front.

Figure, a transverse section through the same, at the line :c x of fig. 4. 7

Figure 3, a View like iig. 1, with the front plate removed, showing the position of the parts when unlocked. l

Figure 4, a similar view, showing the position of the parts when locked.

In this instance, Ihave shown my improvement as engrafted upon the padlock, for which Letters Patent of the United States,V No. 86,377, were granted to Frederick-Egge, February 2, 1869.

The 'mechanism is enclosed'in a circular case, A, having rounded edges and parallel sides, as shown in iig. 2. I prefer this form, as 'it combines many advantages, but it may be varied, without affecting the principle of my invention. y

A radial notch, B, witl1 an enlarged recess, b, at its bottom, is formed in the case. I, by preference, make this notch of a size just suiiicient to allow the staple of the mail-bag to pass between its abutments, as such construction insures the accurate working of my invention. 'The lock, however, will work well, were the notch made larger than the staple, provided the staple, in entering, be pressed against the bolt, as hereafter explained. The notch might also obviously be curved, or made tangential to the centre of the lock, wit-hout departing from the spirit of my invention.

A bolt, O, oscillates on a pivot, d, and moves across the notch B..

A-sprng, c, bears against the lever D of this bolt,

' and tends constantly to keep it shot across the notch,

as in fig. fi.V

One or more tumblers, E, are arranged to oscillate in planes parallel to each other, on a pivot, e, eccentric to that of the bolt.

Springs h bear against the tumblers, and tend to' keep them pressed constantly home, that is, into their` normal position when locked, asin fig. 4.

In this position a stud, n, on the bolt-lever D, bears against shoulders 1, on the tumblers, thus effectually preventing the retraction ot' the bolt without the key.

To unlock the lock, the key is inserted into the keyhole, and turned to the right, bearing against and moving the tumblers, until their notches i come into line with each other, directly in the path of the stud n., which is caused to enter these notches at the proper moment, by the key bearing against the arm d of the bolt-lever. This movement also retracts the boltlever, which moves backward to the full extent necessary to clear the notch B for the withdrawal of the staple from the lock.

After the stud n enters the notches fi, the continued movement of the key releases the bolt, whose spring instantly forces it fo1'ward;but this forward movement is almost instantlyr arrested by the stud n interlocking with a shoulder, 2, on one of the tumblers thrown forward for that/purpose by the key. The bolt is thus set like a'trap, to be sprung by the insertion of the staple, as hereinafter explained.`

When the lock is applied to the mail-bag, the staple enters the notch B, forcing back the projecting end of the bolt C. This movement releases the stud n from the shoulder 2, in the tumbler, and the tumbler is at once thrown 'down by its spring.

As soon as the staple has passed the bolt, thelatter, having been released from the notch, as above explained, is thrown by its 'spring across the notch, thus securely looking the bag.

I am aware that locks have heretofore been so constructed, that the liasp, in entering the lock, pressed aside catches, which returned into their former position, to retain the hasp in the lock.

I claim, as my invention- The combination of the lock-case, the notch in the case, the spring-bolt protruding into the notch, the spring-tumbler and its restraining-shoulder, in such manner that the holt is sprung by applying the look to the bag, all these parts being constructed to operate substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof, I-have hereunto subscribed Jon I. PEYTON, WM. H. Rown. 

